Controversy over Walton's private beach cleanup still lingers

Published: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at 05:02 PM.

DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — It’s been two months since Walton County declared an unofficial litter emergency and authorized spending $11,500 in public funds to clean a private beach trashed by spring breakers.

Questions about what happened and its legality were aired again at Tuesday’s County Commission meeting.

County Commissioner Cindy Meadows said she suspects a Sunshine Law violation occurred when a business owner’s call for immediate help to clean the beach was passed from a fellow commissioner to two county staffers and ultimately to the Tourist Development Council.

TDC officials appeared leery of the transaction in emails obtained through public records requests, but nonetheless ponied up $11,500 to cover the $500 daily cost of cleaning the beach behind Seascape condominiums and the Whale’s Tail restaurant for 23 days.

“The board didn’t know anything about it,” Meadows said Tuesday. “It was done out of the sunshine. I don’t believe taxpayers should be required to pay for something like that.”

Taxpayers have not had to yet, and Taylor Ward, owner of Sandman Coastal Services, hasn’t been paid for extensive labor he and his crews performed.

“I want to get paid. I don’t know what else I can do except wait for someone to make the right decision,” Ward said.

County Attorney Mark Davis notified commissioners Tuesday that their bill from Ward is now past due. He also told them he is making some progress in negotiations with Seascape about who should pay it.

The controversy stems fromwhen management at Seascape called County Commissioner Sarah Comander on March 13 to ask that the county clean up a mess made on the beach by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of spring breakers.

The partiers reached the property behind Seascape via a county beach access, according to Ward.

Comander, in turn, called then-County Administrator Bob Halfhill, who called Mark Davis.

Davis gave Halfhill the go-ahead to spend up to $25,000 in county discretionary funds to clean the beach as a “health, welfare and safety” emergency.

Halfhill arranged through TDC employee Dave Sell to have the agency fund the cleanup.

“Bob and Mark called and said to move forward with the Sand Man. They said we did not need to worry about getting a contract at this time and we are covered. The board has discretionary funds to cover the cost, and we can settle later,” Sell, who was heading the TDC in the absence of his boss, Dawn Moliterno, said in an email to Molterno.

The email was obtained through a public records request by Walton County Taxpayers Association.

Davis acknowledged again Tuesday that he determined the litter left on the beach constituted a public emergency and gave the go-ahead to fund the cleanup.

Comander insisted her only involvement was forwarding a call from Seascape to Halfhill, who had resigned as county administrator before the controversy arose.

Meadows, who has close ties to the Taxpayers Association, questioned how an emergency could be declared without consent of the County Commission.

She also pointedly asked how an emergency, once declared, could remain an emergency for 23 days, again without the commission being notified.

“I don’t want another commissioner being called by a person saying ‘come do work on this property’ and the commissioner giving permission,” she said. “This is something we don’t have to make a practice of, and the commission shouldn’t pay for this.”

Davis defended the hiring of Sandman by arguing the spring breakers had gotten behind the condominium and the Whale’s Tail by using a county walkway. He said the sheer volume of trash left behind created an unusual circumstance that had to be dealt with quickly.

Taxpayers Association member Bob Hudson warned commissioners that if beachside businesses believe Walton County is willing to foot the bill for one private interest’s beach cleaning, the businesses left out will stop paying for the services of Ward and others in his industry.

“It’s a slippery slope,” he said.

Ward, however, said he thinks the county did the right thing in calling him for help.

“I still think the funding was coming from the right source,” he said. “I don’t see anything wrong with their doing this. When it’s ‘we need a fire extinguisher, the building is burning’ there are people whose duty it is to do things like this. You can’t cut them off at the knees.”

DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — It’s been two months since Walton County declared an unofficial litter emergency and authorized spending $11,500 in public funds to clean a private beach trashed by spring breakers.

Questions about what happened and its legality were aired again at Tuesday’s County Commission meeting.

County Commissioner Cindy Meadows said she suspects a Sunshine Law violation occurred when a business owner’s call for immediate help to clean the beach was passed from a fellow commissioner to two county staffers and ultimately to the Tourist Development Council.

TDC officials appeared leery of the transaction in emails obtained through public records requests, but nonetheless ponied up $11,500 to cover the $500 daily cost of cleaning the beach behind Seascape condominiums and the Whale’s Tail restaurant for 23 days.

“The board didn’t know anything about it,” Meadows said Tuesday. “It was done out of the sunshine. I don’t believe taxpayers should be required to pay for something like that.”

Taxpayers have not had to yet, and Taylor Ward, owner of Sandman Coastal Services, hasn’t been paid for extensive labor he and his crews performed.

“I want to get paid. I don’t know what else I can do except wait for someone to make the right decision,” Ward said.

County Attorney Mark Davis notified commissioners Tuesday that their bill from Ward is now past due. He also told them he is making some progress in negotiations with Seascape about who should pay it.

The controversy stems fromwhen management at Seascape called County Commissioner Sarah Comander on March 13 to ask that the county clean up a mess made on the beach by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of spring breakers.

The partiers reached the property behind Seascape via a county beach access, according to Ward.

Comander, in turn, called then-County Administrator Bob Halfhill, who called Mark Davis.

Davis gave Halfhill the go-ahead to spend up to $25,000 in county discretionary funds to clean the beach as a “health, welfare and safety” emergency.

Halfhill arranged through TDC employee Dave Sell to have the agency fund the cleanup.

“Bob and Mark called and said to move forward with the Sand Man. They said we did not need to worry about getting a contract at this time and we are covered. The board has discretionary funds to cover the cost, and we can settle later,” Sell, who was heading the TDC in the absence of his boss, Dawn Moliterno, said in an email to Molterno.

The email was obtained through a public records request by Walton County Taxpayers Association.

Davis acknowledged again Tuesday that he determined the litter left on the beach constituted a public emergency and gave the go-ahead to fund the cleanup.

Comander insisted her only involvement was forwarding a call from Seascape to Halfhill, who had resigned as county administrator before the controversy arose.

Meadows, who has close ties to the Taxpayers Association, questioned how an emergency could be declared without consent of the County Commission.

She also pointedly asked how an emergency, once declared, could remain an emergency for 23 days, again without the commission being notified.

“I don’t want another commissioner being called by a person saying ‘come do work on this property’ and the commissioner giving permission,” she said. “This is something we don’t have to make a practice of, and the commission shouldn’t pay for this.”

Davis defended the hiring of Sandman by arguing the spring breakers had gotten behind the condominium and the Whale’s Tail by using a county walkway. He said the sheer volume of trash left behind created an unusual circumstance that had to be dealt with quickly.

Taxpayers Association member Bob Hudson warned commissioners that if beachside businesses believe Walton County is willing to foot the bill for one private interest’s beach cleaning, the businesses left out will stop paying for the services of Ward and others in his industry.

“It’s a slippery slope,” he said.

Ward, however, said he thinks the county did the right thing in calling him for help.

“I still think the funding was coming from the right source,” he said. “I don’t see anything wrong with their doing this. When it’s ‘we need a fire extinguisher, the building is burning’ there are people whose duty it is to do things like this. You can’t cut them off at the knees.”